The SetupGame was played in London, Sunday. Rams - at 4 & 2 are on a roll - an unanticipated darling of the media. Cards rode the back of new RB Adrian Peterson piling up 31 last week vs. Tampa Bay racking up 30+ unanswered points before fendng off a furious 4Q Ram rally to secure a squeaker 38 - 35. Cards were 3 & 3. Rams were 3 & 0 on the road.

Update - Cards are reported to have lost starting QB Carson Palmer - likey for the season - with a broken left arm. He sustained it in the 2Q when he was hit as he attempted to throw (also resulting in a Ram interception. When asked whether he might start Blaine Gabbert instead of Drew Stanton, BA replied: "Why? He's #2; you don't skip #2 to go to #3. Palmer's absence throws the rest of the Cardinal season into termoil; but injuries are part of the game and other teams have had to deal with their QB's get injured and they've lived to tell about it.

It "takes a village" (of offensive linemen) to keep the Cardinals viable.

Cardinal defense continued to suck on 3rd down.

Under the best of circumstances, the Cardinals are well on their way to being a .500 football team.

After he threw the obligatory interception late in the 2Q, Carson Palmer injured his forearm and sat out the rest of the game.

No, Drew Stanton doesn't appear to be the answer.

Game RecapRams won the toss and elected to kickoff. Card offense looked crisp on their opening possession, but (true to form) blew a chip-shot field goal. It was all Rams after that.

1st Quarter

Cards received (once again) and started off from their own 21. They made it to the Ram 14 in 8 plays before a bad snap messed up Dawson's 32-yd FG attempt. Rams took over on their own 22 and reeled off 14 straight plays ending in Zuerlein's 23 yd FG. Rams 3 -Cards 0.

Cards reached their own 45 and punted. The 2 teams exchanged 3 & outs with the Cards punting to open the 2Q.

TB on KO. Cards made it to the Ram 35 in 8 plays, but Palmer was sacked for an 11-yd loss and Lee punted 46 yds into the end zone. Rams held to 3 & out. Punt returned to Card 18. On the first play of the Card possession, Palmer's pass for Nelson was picked off. Palmer was injured and was out for the duration of the game. On the first play of the Ram possession, Gurley ran 18 yds up the middle for a TD.. Rams 13 -Cards 0.

TB on KO. 8 plays later, Lee punted from his own 42. LA ball (net a penalty) on their own 12. Goff engineered an 8 play drive capped by his 9 yd TD gallop around right end. Rams 20 -Cards 0.

TB on the KO. On the first play of the Card possession, Stanton was picked off and returned to the Card 28. Four plays later (with 0:03 on the clock) Zeurlein kicked a 53-yarder. Rams 23 -Cards 0.

3rd Down Conversions - Rams were 13 of 19 - Is that some sort of record? (Note - Cards were 3 of 12)..

Zero Points - I thought I heard this might have been the first time in franchise history..

Missed FG - Three problems: (1) We missed our only attempt. (2) The air immediately went out of the Cardinal balloon. (3) We're consistent in missing FGs. Buck stops at Amos Jones

O Line - Watching the Rams vs. both the pass and vs. the run was like watching our local Pee Wee league go up against 'Bama.

Penalties - 10 for us. 6 for them.

Net Punting - Their guy averaged 55.0 yds. Mr. Lee averaged 32.2

Quarterback - Will Palmer be out for any period of time? If so, Stanton did not look like the answer, and it may be "Gabbert Time."

Last Word:Ed Note - The following "Last Word:" was written prior to hearing that Carson Palmer will probably be lost for the season. Palmer's absence can only make the challenges to be faced by the Cardinal football team that much higher):

Whenever the Cards have an impressive outing, the first thing we ask ourselves: "Will they be able to repeat the stellar peformance next week and the week after that?" We asked ourselves this after the first half of the TB game.

The answer thus far has to be a resounding "No!" The Cardinals up and down performance has all the earmarks of aged veterans who - when they feel desperate enough - have to "get themselves up" for the next game on the schedule. Problem is: Once they do it on Week #2, they don't have anything left for Week #3. So they lay an egg in Week #3 and hope they have enough to get the juices flowing in Week #4.

I hate when that happens. I'm used to rooting for teams - who physically and mentally - put out their max on every assignment of every down of every series of every quarter of every game. Always.

I don't see the Cardinals doing so and, as such, they give every appearance of being, at best, a .500 football team.

Not good enough, fellas.

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